Car-coupling



. G..AABEL.

on comm (N0 Modem No. 573,253. Pateilted Dec. 15, 1.896.

d 3 WV Amy UNITED STATES P TENT CFFICE.

GEORGE AABEL, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 573,253, dated December 15, 1896. Application filed September 8, 1896. Serial No. 605,187. (No model-i 2'0 all whom it may concern;

Be it known that I, GEORGE 'AABEL, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city and county of San Francisco, in the State of California, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Car-Couplings, of which the followingis a specification.

Myinvention relates to a knuckle car-coupler; and the object thereof is to produce a, device of this class having a perfect gravity-lock and entirely void of springs and such parts as are hard to fit or apt to get out of order.

Referring to the accompanying drawings for a detailed description of said improvement, Figure 1 is a sectional plan of one member of the coupling, the knuckle being closed and the lock removed. Fig. 2 is a front ole-- vation of the same with the knuckle open and the lock in a raised position. Fig. 3 is a side elevation with the draw-head broken otf on the line 'y y of Fig. 1, the knuckle appearing as closed and locked' Fig. 4. is a view similar to the preceding, but showing the lock partly raised, so the knuckle may be opened. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the knuckle. Fig. 6 is a like view of the lock; and Fig. 7 is a cross-section on the line w w of said Fig. (i,

. looking downward.

Like letters refer to like parts throughout the various figures.

The letter A represen tsa draw-head cored out at a to forma cavity or hollow adapted to receive the rearpart of a knuckle B, which is pivoted in a vertical position to one side of the draw-head,as shown. The said knuckle B is of peculiar construction. (Illustrated in detail at Fig. 5.) As seen in the figu re last named, it is provided with a rearwardly-extendin-g portion b, which is spread outat the end, on each side, so as to form two oppositely-running points or branches 1) 12 These two branches are of such length that when the knuckle is swung in on its pivot and closed, as represented by full lines in Fig. 1, the outer branch b will project through an aperture 0;

that are formed, respectively,

,the center of the draw-head on the opposite side. To'brin g about this result, the knuckle is arranged so as to begliinited in its movements on its pivot both ways-first, by the .margin ct of the aperture (11 which acts as a side stop, and, secondly, by shoulders a 19 drical bearing portion of the knuckle and on the lugs between which it is fitted. Thus the knuckle is prevented either from being pushed too far in or from being drawn too far out. The upper surface of the knuckle is fiat and arranged to movein a plane parallel with that of the roof of the draw-heads cavity, but its under surface is beveled or inclined downward from the upper corner of the branch I) to the lower corner of the branch 12 The latter-named branch (5 is cut away in two places, as shown, to form a step b and an upwardly-projected hook 0 for purposes hereinafter set forth.

C is a lock, preferably made in the shape of a pin, adapted to work in conjunction with the knuckle above described. This lock-pin is of quadrangular section for the greater part of its length and somewhat wider at the bottom than at the top. Itfits loosely in a correspondingly shaped upwardly tapering slot (1 formed in about the middle of the draw-head and communicating with the main core or cavity therein, the pin entering the slot from the bottom side of the draw-head, through which it is passed before the knuckle is inserted and secured in place. At the top it is provided with an eye 0 for engagement, by means of a suitable chain or links, with an operating lever or crank. (Not shown.) This eye is located forward, so that when it is pulled up the lower part of the lock will naturally swing forward by force of gravitation. The lock is notched or cut away in its lower portion, as" at 0 0 to allow the rear end of the knuckle to project into it when inserted in the draw-head. These notches or cuts 0 on the cylin-' t form 011 the lock, besides, a shoulder a an inverted hook c and a cam 0 each of which has its distinct function. The shoulder a or that part lying above the notch 0, allows the lock to project over and rest upon the step b above referred to as being provided in the inner branch of the knuckle, and thereby enables it to keep the knuckle closed, or in the posit-ion shown in Figs. 1 and 3, as the lock is then wedged in between the right wall of the draw-heads cavity and the knuckle, preventing the latter from being swung open. The lock in that case is in its lowest position. The same shoulder 0 enables the lock, when raised, to rest and ride upon the upper flat surface of the knuckle when the latter is opened, the lock and knuckle being then in the position represented in Fig. 2. In that position the knuckle keeps the look from dropping down. The hook 0 serves to keep the shoulder of the lock disengaged from the-step b and out of contact with the top surface of the knuckle, said hook being adapted for that,

purpose to engage with the matinghook 19 provided at the lowerinner edge. of the knuckle, as illustrated in Fig. 4.. Thecam c operates to throw open the knuckle upon the lock being raised, that is, when the knuckle.

is otherwise free to open or disengaged from a mating knuckle. correspond andengagerwith the underbeveledsurface of the knuckle, under whichit will slide, so that, the lock-pin being pulled up, the knuckle will beforced to swing about its pivot into the positionrepresented at Fig. 2, ready for engagement with amating. knuckle of asimilar coupling member. 0 and the vertical edges ofv the notches c c are also beveled, but in an opposite direction, in order that they may not catch under. the

knuckle, but will allow it to swing in and out.

readily.

The operation is as follows: First, if it be desired to couple two cars that are apart, the.

lock of either member of the coupler is raised, so that the cam 0 may engage with the under surface of the knuckle above it and force the knuckle out, as show-n by dotted lines in Fig. l and by full lines in Fig. 2. The lock is then released and allowed to fall upon and rest on the top surface of the knuckle. cars being brought together and the two members of the couplingpaused to meet, the open knuckle is driven in by impact and closed, as illustrated by full lines in Fig. l. and also in Fig. 3, when the lock drops down, so that its shoulder 0 will engage the. seat Z). If theknuckles of both membersof the coupling were open, they wouldbe closed the same way. The cars are then securely coupled together. To uncouple, one of the locks is first partly lifted,

It is beveled, as shown, to.

The hook- The.

so that its hook 0 will rest temporarily on the mating hook b of the knuckle and its shoulder 0 be completely raised and disengaged from the seat 12 The cars being afterward pulled apart, the unlocked knuckle is forced open, the hook b is drawn away from the hook c and the lock-pin drops upon and becomes seated on the upper surface of the l lock may be kept in araised position and the knuckle allowed to open,substantially as described- 2. In a car-coupling, the combination of a draw-head, a knuckle arranged to protrude and'swing therein, the protruding portion of the knudkle havingits upper surface partly cut away toform a seat and its rear end provided with a hook below the same, and a lock having a shoulder adapted to engage saidseat and a hook thereunder mating with that of the knuckle-whereby the lock may be partly raised to unlock the knuckle and its should er shifted from its, seat to the upper surface of the knuckle uponthe opening'of the latter,

substantially as described.

3. Inacar-coupling, the combination of a "hollow draw-head having a slot communicating with the core thereof, a knuckle projecting'into-the core of. the draw-head and havinga hook arranged to lie within the plane.

of its slot, and a lock loosely fitted within.

said slot, said look having a hook mating with that of the knuckle and a forwardly-located eye whereby it may be pulled up and its lower end caused to swing forward so that its hook will engage the knuckle-hook, substantially as. described.

In testimony whereof. I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE AABEL. \Vitnesses:

A. H. STE. MARIE, IIENRY P. TRICOU. 

